Ore-reducing process.



L. ST. D. ROYLANCE.

ORE REDUCING PROCESS.

. APPLlCATiON FILED JAN-26,1915. 1 168 678 'Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

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L eon SLD. T'z lance wi bneooao L. ST. D. ROYLANCE.

ORE REDUCING PROCESS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 17915 Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

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' 1 Leon 811D. Roylanccf UNITED STATES PA ENT omuon. y

LEON ST. D. RQYLANCE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ORE-REDUCING PROCESS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON ST. '1). ROY- LANCE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Reducing Processes, of which the following is a specification. 1 4

This invention relates to a method or proc: ess of separating and recovering precious metals from their ores. v

The objects of the invention are to provide a process which will recover a large percentage of the precious metal from its ore; which will recover the gold from its ore under varying conditions without resorting to the old and well-known methods, such as leaching, roasting, and the like; which will be simple and cheap in its operation; and which willloe positive and uniform in its action.

I will now proceed to outline my improved method of extracting such metals, first giving a brief description of the apparatus used which is shown in the accompanying draw ings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the disinte-. I grator, the top'being partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View I of the agitator and amalgamator. Fig. ,4 is

a plan View of the same.

Referring to said drawings by'numerals, and first to the disintegrator: A tank 1, of

any suitable form and material, .is provided with an inner curved wall 2' extending from the top of'one end of the'tank to a position near the center of the bottom. Said wall 2* is provided with a scouring surface 3 formedv of any suitable material, but preferably of concrete or unglazed tile. At the end of said tank opposite that at which wall"2 is placed, isv an inwardly projecting wall or partition 4 forming within said tank the compartment 5, said wall 4 terminating near the bottom of said tank to'form the slot6 for a purpose hereinafter explained and described. At'a convenient point near the top of said tank is-placed asuit ble charging port .7 and, near the bottom, a'discharge port 8. A man hole 9 of any suitable form is provided in the top of said tank, said man hole being closed with a cover 9 and said tank is further provided, at convenient ,points,"with a safety, or escape valve 10, a

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

Application filed January 26, 1915. Serial No. 4,474.

I power driven centrifugal pump is used.

The exhaust of said pump 15 communicates through a suitable opening in the end of said tank with the aforementioned compartment 5, formed between the end; and bottom of said tank and the. afore-mentioned wall or partition 4. WVithin said tank and arranged in suitably spaced relation are the plates 16, said plates being held in position by the properly insulated rods 17 adapted to engage'the openings 18 formed in said plates. .The said plates 16 are incommunication with a suitable source of electric current supply 19 through the circuit 20 which has interposed. therein an automatic quick break pole changing switch 21.

It is of course understood that the plates 16 may be put in: electrical contact in any manner desired but, bypreference, the outer or end plates are connected directly to the fcircuit 20 thereby forming main electrodes. The plates interposed between these end or outer plates have no metallic connection therewith or with each other .the only connecting medium between them being the electrolyte in which they are immersed. These interposed plates will be foundwhen the current is: on, to be electrically active the faces thereof becoming anode and cathode to correspond with the cathode and anode face respectively, of the plates next in order to them.

The tank so far described is of the closed variety intended more especially for use in those cases where a high degree of heat and a consequent pressure is desirable. For the treatment of substances requiring the ordinary lower temperatures the open form of.

tank is more convenient. Such tank is, in the main, similar to that described except that the top with its man-hole and other fittings is discarded, as is also the charging port 7. In place of the top 9, the tank is provided with a removable funnel'shaped hood 22, shown most clearly in Fig. 2, proadded thereto to sufliciently reduce the re vided with the vent or exhaust pipe 23 adapted to carry off the gases arising from the tank. The exhaust pipe 23 is provided with a damper or check valve 24 to control the escape of said gases.

Referring now to the combined agitator and amalgamator, shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4: A suitable tank 25, is provided with aball bearing gland 26, which supports in any suitable manner, the radially extending arms 27 Arms 27 are provided with suitably spaced discharge nozzles 28 which are inclined toward the bottom of the tank. Tank 25 is further provided in the side wall thereof with an outlet port through which the interior of said tank is placed in communication with the intake of a suitable centrifugal pump 29, by means of pipe 30. The discharge pipe 31, communicates with the ball bearing gland 26. Gate valves 32 and 33 are provided in pipes 30 and 31 respectively, for the purpose of regulating the flow to and from said pump. Suitably spaced metallic plates 34:, are placed around said tank near the top thereof said plates being put in contact in any suitable manner and being connected to a suitablesource of electrical supply 35, so as to form of said plates anodes. In the bottom of said. tank is the amalgamating plate 36 connected,.in any suitable manner, to the other side of said source of electrical supply. The ball bearing gland 26, arms 27 and nozzles 28 are also connected to said opposite side of the electrical source, to prevent electrical disintegration'of said parts. Before the ore is subjected to my process it goes through the usual preliminary preparation, that is; the gold bearing ore is first crushed through rock breakers and fed to stamp mills or crushers and crushed to about twenty mesh. This. crushed ore is then run through ball or tube millsand pulverized to a fineness of about one hundred and fifty mesh. The ore after being so pulverized, is charged into the electro-chemical decomposing tanks, the solution containing l the necessary chemicals for producing the chemical reactions by the aid of the electric current is also charged into the tank, the circulation mechanism is set in motion, the

electric current applied and the ore is treated electrochemically for a period of time necessary for the decomposition. or oxidization of the pulp; the time being from one to four hours.

To more fully understand the action of the disintegrator, let. us take a simple electrolyte,

such as water, with enough rock-salt (NaCl) sistance to suit the electric current conditions. In the solution, or electrolyte, let us place a pulverized rebellious ore containing gold, silver, arsenic, antimony, zinc, sulfur and iron. The action is as followsz The water is decomposed, hydrogen (H) being liberated at the negative side of the plates or electrodes and oxygen (0) at the positive.

them in their nascent and consequently most active state. By the action of'the pump We have the various substances contained in the ore swept through the narrow spaces between the electrodes, which spaces contain the nascent and extremely active elements above noted, whose tendency is to unite with the various metals and compounds, to form new compounds, some of which pass ofli' in the form of a gas, while others form compounds or are oxidized into a state capable of being broken up by the scrubbing.

and scouring action due to the particles impinging upon the abrading surface of the curved wall of the tank. The gold is not deleteriously acted upon by any of the elements or compounds formed within the electrolyte. The silver is but slightly affected by the chlorin as the process of treatment does not exceed four hours.

The antimony combines with hydrogen forming stibin (SbH,), also with chlorin forming antimony trichlorid (SbCl The arsenic combines with hydrogen forming arsin (AsH The zinc combines with chlorin forming chlorid of zinc (ZnCI The sulfur combines with hydrogen forming sulfureted hydrogen (H,S). The iron combines with oxygen to form ferrous oxid (FeC) and also with chlorin to form ferrous chlorid (FeCl In addition to the above we have ,thepossibility of forming such compounds as sulfuric acid (H SO and hydrochloric acid ,(HCl) which are excellentoxidizing agents and are made possible by the circulating action of the agitating pump. After the pulp has undergone this decomposition, or oxidization, the electric current is switched off and the circulating mechanism stopped. The solution is allowed to stand long enough to allow the pulp to settle to the bottom of.

the tank. The electrolyte is then siphoned off and stored for furtheruse. The pulp being now in a free milling state, is ready for amalgamation except that it shows an acid reaction and, for reasons heretofore set forth, must be neutralized, before amalgamation can be attempted.

Neutralization may be eflected with any suitable alkali; I prefer however to use calcium oxid, commonly known as slaked lime. This not only gives the desired result, but appears to liven the mercury and aid it in its amalgamating action. After neutralizing the pulp it is transferred to the amalgamating agitator, heretofore described to undergo amalgamation. The amalgamating solution is then added to the tank to a point well above the anodes 34. An electric current of suflicient. density is applied from a suitable source 35, the positive pole thereof being connected to the anodes 34 and the negative pole to the amalgamating plate 36. The circulating pump is then started, the radial arms 27 are caused to revolve by the discharge from the nozzles 28, the material so discharged impinging upon the amalgamating plate 36. The gold in metallic form will be precipitated upon the amalgamating plate and forced into the film of mercury coating the plate.

It will, of course, be understood that the amalgamating solutions used are selected to suit the chemical conditions of the ore pulp, and the chemicals therein are of such a nature that, when the solution is subjected to the action of an electric current, the chemical reactions are such that the elements that are liberated 'at the negative pole, or amalgamating plate, are in a nascent state and have great aflinity for oxygen,

and combine with the oxygen of the oxidized mercury, forming soluble compounds and tending to keep the mercury free from oxygen, thereby maintaining it in a clean, live and amalgamable state.

It will be seen, from the foregoing, that my process contemplates disintegrating the ore before amalgamation instead of at the time of amalgamation, thereby avoiding the wastes necessary where amalgamation and distintegration take place together, as heretofore, set forth.

Having described my invention, what I claim as. new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is j 1. In an ore reducing process, disintegrating said ore by subjecting the same to electro-chemical action and at the same time scouring said ore, neutralizing the pulp so obtained, and then subjecting said pulp to amalgamation.

2. In an ore reducing process, disintegrating said ore by subjecting the same to electro-chemical action and at the same time scouring said ore, and then subjecting said pulp to amalgamation.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEON ST. D. ROYLANCE.

Witnesses:

A. J. HENRY, F. H. SEARLS. 

